I. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a method of transcranially applying electrical signals in order to treat afflictions including drug addictions and habituations, appetite disturbances, stress, insomnia, and pain.
II. Background of the Invention
The individual and societal tragedy of drug and alcohol abuse is well known and statistics demonstrate that prior art treatment methods for addictions and habituations have been unable to control the problem. With regard to applications of electrical signals to cope with these and other afflictions, such inadequate treatment methods include conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation therapy (TENS), electro-acupuncture, and invasive electrical treatments.
Conventional TENS treatment is based on the Melzack and Wall gate theory of pain, which basically suggests that pain can be ameliorated or masked by providing an electrical signal to a body segment in order to counteract a pain signal that is being transmitted to the brain from the body segment along small .alpha.-afferent nerve fibers. According to this theory, the "gate" located in the substantia gelatinosa region of the brain, through which the pain signals normally pass, is effectively closed by applying the counteractive TENS signal. As will be seen, conventional TENS treatment is thus based on a different theory of action that provides only the amelioration or masking of pain and, as a result, involves the use of signals and modes of applying the signals which are clearly distinguishable from the transcranial methods described hereinbelow.
Electro-acupuncture is similarly distinguishable from the present invention. As is well known, acupuncture involves the placement of needles at appropriate points, known as acupoints, and it is believed by some that the application of electrical currents to the needles can enhance the production of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. There is no evidence that the prior art electro-acupuncture techniques can serve to affect the mechanics of drug addiction at the neurosynaptic junctions where the drug interacts, nor that other of the enumerated afflictions can be successfully treated by electro-acupuncture.
Other prior art techniques can be characterized as invasive techniques in that they actually involve the insertion of the electrodes into regions of the brain, in particular, the peri-aqueductal grey region, wherein electrical signals generated by the electrodes are said to cause stimulations to modify the production of certain neurotransmitters. As these techniques actually require a form of brain surgery, they are limited in application, such as to those cases where the patient's life is threatened or where the patient has a terminal affliction.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an effective method of treatment with transcranially applied electrical signals for the afflictions of drug addiction and habituation, appetite disturbances, stress, insomnia, and pain without the need for the insertion of probes or electrodes into the patient's body.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method that acts by introducing an electrical signal across the head to treat the affliction at the neurosynaptic junctions where the affliction often originates.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method that acts by introducing an electrical signal across the head to modify the production of neurotransmitters.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of treatment with transcranially applied electrical signals wherein substantially no nerves within the brain become demyelinized.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of treatment with transcranially applied electrical signals wherein the targeted nerves do not become acclimatized to the electrical signal.
It is a further object to provide an electrical signal across the head having characteristics that are effective to alleviate or eliminate at least one of the above-enumerated afflications or other afflictions that often originate at the neurosynaptic junctions of the brain.
It is a further object to provide a method of treatment with transcranially applied electrical signals, wherein the applied signal can be altered in an emergency situation to relieve any discomfort encountered by the patient.
It is a further object to provide a method of treating drug addiction with transcranially applied electrical signals to ameliorate or eliminate all withdrawal symptoms that otherwise may be experienced during a controlled detoxification and rehabilitation program.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of treatment with transcranially applied electrical signals whereby the monitoring of the progress and efficacy of the treatment can be continuous.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a method of treatment with transcranially applied electrical signals wherein the patient is unable to distinguish when a signal is being applied and when it is not.
These objectives are satisfied in the practice of the present invention.